Here are the £300m plans for the Toads Hole Valley site

Fresh proposals for the Toads Hole Valley site in were handed to the council this week.

It comes after developers were told to go back to the drawing board in December last year.

At the time, residents voiced concerns the new housing estate could cause dangerous traffic jams.

They also raised fears about a shortage of GPs and increased flooding.

Now fresh plans for the £300 million development have been submitted.

And a decision is expected to be made next year.

The plans include 880 homes, shops and a new secondary school, as well as:

• A community centre including a cafe which developers say will be the “heart of the new community”.
• Land for a new secondary school, up to three-storeys high, with a grass roof. The school’s sports facilities would be available for the community to use outside of school opening hours.
• A “neighbourhood centre” with space for shops including a chemist, hairdresser, optician, cafes, and estate agents.

The four-storey building will have 24 flats above the shops.

The plans will also include

• A medium-sized supermarket to open 7 days a week.
• A doctor’s surgery
• A new pedestrian and cycle crossing on King George VI Avenue.
• More cycle routes to Hove Park, including one along Goldstone Crescent.

Developers say the scheme will be environmentally friendly and will use renewable technology to minimise waste with on-site facilities to help with and recycling.

There will also be space for allotments.

Forty per cent of the homes – approximately 350 – will be classed as affordable, according to the developer.

The Toads Hole Valley site has been privately owned since the 1930s.

When the A27 was built in the early 1990s, the land was cut off and is no longer usable as farmland.

It is now overgrown and has been used as a dumping ground by flytippers.

The developers say the land has also been used for off-road motorbike racing.

The plans are designed to create a “thriving new community,” the developer said.

It says: “Everyone understands the importance of creating a living heart for a new community.

“It needs to be somewhere to go for a purpose.

“But it is also a place with opportunities for casual interaction and social contact.

“Ideally there needs to be commercial activity and a sense of bustle as well as the possibility of a tranquil spot from which to watch it all pass by.”

Toads Hole Valley is a large grassy area between Hangleton and the A27.

It is near the roundabout which connects King George VI Avenue, Devil’s Dyke Road, and Dyke Road Avenue.

An important nature conservation site on the western embankment will be kept as part of the development .

The 99-acre site is allocated for development in Brighton and Hove’s city plan and is considered key to ensuring the city can meet its housing demand, which is continually increasing.

Creating a community which will support itself

THE developer said the plans would provide “much-needed community benefits and infrastructure improvements”.

It said half the homes would be family-sized and 40 per cent will be affordable, in order to “support local families and help local people get on to the property ladder”. 

It said: “Core to the development is creating a community that supports itself.

“The proposals will deliver land for a new secondary school, a new doctor’s surgery, local shops, and office space including for start-ups and existing local businesses looking for high quality employment space.

“Twelve acres of open green space which is currently inaccessible will be opened up for all to benefit from, including community food-growing space and areas for play.

“The 21-acre area of nature conservation interest will be enhanced to protect and encourage local wildlife and give local people the opportunity to connect with the environment.”

The developer said the proposals would also bring about “huge economic benefits”.

It said: “The construction work will be valued at over £300 million, with 300 direct and indirect jobs created.

“The completed development will generate £1.2 million in council tax every year, to go towards vital local council services.”

In 2017, Brighton and Hove City Council produced a detailed plan for Toad’s Hole Valley, setting out what it wanted to see on the site.

The developer said: “The submitted scheme has been carefully prepared to ensure it meets all the criteria set by the council, including density, affordability and sustainability.

“In line with the aspirations of the council, King George VI Avenue will be changed into an appropriate residential street by narrowing the road and reducing the speed.”

Tony Blackburn, operations director at St Congar on behalf of the landowners, said “Having engaged with local residents and councillors, we are confident the proposals reflect the council’s clearly stated aspirations for Toad’s Hole Valley to provide much needed new affordable and family-sized homes, land for a secondary school, a doctor’s surgery, a community centre and considerable public open space.

“We look forward to continue to work with the local community and the council to bring about the best possible development.” 

The planning application – reference BH2018/03633 – can be viewed in full on the council’s website.